Much like the Rival 600, the Rival 5 is a genuinely large mouse. It's not just long and wide, but bulky as well, clearly tailored towards filling the palm as best as possible. The hump is centered, somewhat tapered, and gradually slopes down towards both ends. The width between the front and middle remains almost constant, but increases towards the back, which flares out towards the right side in particular. The thumb area isn't necessarily curved, but rather recessed, more so towards the front. Another peculiarity is the large overhang, which creates the impression the entire top is asymmetrically shifted forward. The main buttons feature somewhat deep comfort grooves and extend across the entire width, dipping down towards the edges. Overall, a design focused on comfort that works well in practice.
As for grip styles, I'd say the Rival 5 is mostly suited for palm and to a lesser extent claw grip. It's a large mouse with a fairly pronounced hump and bulky body, which makes it suit larger hands. For reference, my hands are 19 cm long and 10 cm wide, and I found the Rival 5 comfortable in claw grip.
Dimensions
This table includes the dimensions of the SteelSeries Rival 5 and several other right-handed ergonomic mice. "Front height" denotes the distance between the base and main buttons. Measurements with two decimals have been taken with a caliper, while those with one decimal have been taken with a ruler. For a full list of all measurements taken, please refer to this sheet compiled by an esteemed community member.
SteelSeries Rival 5 Dimensions
Rival 5
Chakram Core
Basilisk
X17
G402
Base Length
11.5 cm
12.88 cm
11.2 cm
11.0 cm
11.5 cm
Length (including overhang)
12.56 cm
12.88 cm
12.2 cm
12.36 cm
13.3 cm
Front Height (lowest point)
1.4 cm
0.9 cm
0.8 cm
1.6 cm
1.1 cm
Height (highest point)
4.16 cm
4.19 cm
4.17 cm
4.27 cm
4.05 cm
Front Width (widest point)
6.28 cm
6.10 cm
5.91 cm
5.76 cm
5.58 cm
Back Width (widest point)
6.67 cm
6.51 cm
6.23 cm
6.87 cm
5.54 cm
Grip Width (narrowest point)
6.14 cm
5.99 cm
6.05 cm
5.63 cm
6.11 cm
Below are some comparison shots with each of the measured mice: